TAYLOR VOWS NO MORE SLIP-UPS
SEE PAGE 81
WITH complacency likely to be as much of an enemy as KR Reykjavik tonight, the words of warning from those Celtic players who lived to tell the tale of a disastrous night in Gibraltar four years ago may prove to be invaluable.
Much as he would doubtless prefer to keep his own counsel on such a thorny issue, Greg Taylor will feel compelled to recount his own European horror show.
Part of the Kilmarnock side who somehow contrived to lose to Connah’s Quay Nomads a year ago, the defender’s nightmare was inarguably darker than that experienced by Celtic three years previously against Lincoln Red Imps for one simple reason. While Brendan Rodgers’ side prevailed on aggregate, Angelo Alessio’s men crashed out.
Seemingly all but through to the second qualifying round after winning the first leg 2-1 in Wales, dozens of Kilmarnock fans hit the button on flights and hotels for an apparently inevitable trip to Belgrade to face Partizan.
What unfolded at home against the part-timers truly beggared belief. Seemingly unsure whether to attack or defend in a game that didn’t require them to score, Alessio’s men were all at sea from the get go.
Unable to convert one of a series of half-chances, the loss of a goal just after half-time instigated all-out panic. The winner, a penalty 11 minutes from time, had long been in the post.
While Alessio was plainly the wrong man in the wrong movie, the Kilmarnock side that took the field that fateful night still had the ability and the experience to get the job done with something to spare. Taylor’s cautionary tale demands that Celtic tonight afford their opponent every respect while demanding the very best of themselves. Anything else would leave the door ajar to an unwelcome repeat of history.
‘You can’t take any game in Europe for granted and we don’t,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘I think that’s a big motivation here — we look at every game as the most important one, so Tuesday night is for us. We can’t afford any slip-ups, so hopefully there won’t be any.
‘It (Connah’s Quay) shows you exactly what can happen. That was a disappointing night for myself and Kilmarnock to get knocked out. We thought we’d done the hard part down there but we came back to Rugby Park and it didn’t quite work out.
‘We created a lot of chances, certainly in the first half, but we just didn’t take them. It was 0-0 at half-time and we thought we could still go and qualify but it wasn’t to be. On the night, it wasn’t what we wanted. We just didn’t perform as well as we could have.’
Notwithstanding the fact that this will be the first European game played behind doors at Parkhead since the match with Atletico Madrid in 1985, there is much to be said for the familiarity of home.
But with the one-off tie being played to a finish on the night, there will be a distinct edge to the occasion that would perhaps have been absent if it was the first match of a two-legged encounter. In normal circumstances, the margin for error on such occasions is miniscule. Tonight, it’s zero.
‘We understand that it’s a one-legged affair,’ added Taylor. ‘It’s not as if we are expecting there to be a second leg. We know we need to go and perform in the one game. That means there’s all the more onus on us. We need to get it right on the night and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.
‘The attitude within our changing room is spot-on and I’m sure our attitude for this game will be right at it. So it won’t be down to that. We’re aiming just to put in a performance and get the win.’
It’s only just over a week since Celtic spilled two points against Taylor’s former club in Ayrshire, but that game already feels like ancient history.
Boli Bolingoli, who replaced Taylor with three minutes to go in the score draw, caused an international incident when news of his not-so-secret overnight trip to Spain came to light.
His breathtaking arrogance very nearly cost Scottish football the privilege of playing in these difficult times but did cost Neil Lennon’s side scheduled league matches against St Mirren and Aberdeen.
Nine days after they last kicked a ball in anger, Taylor expects his team-mates to fly out of the traps.
‘We can’t wait for the game,’ he said. ‘It’s a good opportunity and a massive game for us. Hopefully, we’ll go and get to the next stage.
‘The build-up hasn’t been disruptive. We’ve had our full focus on this game and have had a good week’s training.
‘The boys looked at it and everyone is just looking forward to the game now.’
KR Reykjavik boast only one current Icelandic international in Kristjan Finnbogason but the calibre of player produced by a nation of just 364,000 people should be sufficient warning.
For those domiciled on the dark side of the moon for the past decade, Iceland qualified backto-back for the last Euros and the World Cup and remain on course for a third-successive tournament.
‘I remember seeing them in the Euros where they did quite well (by reaching the last eight),’ Taylor recalled.
‘They are a nation on the way up. So we understand it’s going to be a tough game and our full focus is on that. We can’t afford any slip-ups, so we aim to put on a performance and qualify for the next stage.
‘We are under no illusions that it will be a tough game but it’s one we want to win. I think they will be hard to beat but will have a counter-attacking threat. The onus is on us and we’ve got to look to put our strengths and attributes onto them. Hopefully, that will be enough to see us through.’
The home loss to Cluj in last year’s third qualifying round was hardly an epic failure by Celtic yet the fact it came after a credible 1-1 draw in Romania made the wound smart for long enough.
Taylor, who moved to Parkhead just after an extraordinary 4-3 home loss in the second leg, detects a determination not to settle for the consolation prize of the Europa League this time around.
‘That’s the aim — to go and qualify for the Champions League group stage. And that starts on Tuesday,’ he said.
‘The boys have good experience of playing one-legged affairs in the domestic cups. They have a good record in them, so long may that continue.
‘When I signed, the boys were in a good position — they had just won the Old Firm (game). You have to leave it in the past. You can’t dwell on things like that in football. This season it’s important that we go and try to qualify.’